Cosco Shipping Holdings said in a stock exchange announcement that its unit Cosco Asset
Management entered into a shipbuilding agreement with Jiangnan on January 13.
Each of the vessels will have a capacity of 18,000 teu.
Moreover, the deal is worth approximately 16.79 billion yuan ($2.4 billion), or approximately $200 million per vessel.
Cosco Shipping expects to take delivery of these vessels between 2028 and 2029.
The firm said that the deal is part of the group’s efforts to steadily increase fleet capacity, achieve long-term and balanced development, and further consolidate its industrial position.
Upon delivery of the newly constructed vessels, Cosco Shipping plans to deploy them on the
east-west routes.
This will enhance the service quality of the relevant routes and also optimise the cost structure of the relevant routes, it said.
First LNG dual-fuel container vessels for Cosco Shipping
Cosco Shipping noted that it has selected Jiangnan after requesting preliminary quotations from the yard and two other shipyards.
In November 2025, LNG Prime was the first to report that Cosco Shipping was interested in booking LNG dual-fuel vessels.
This was the first time Cosco Shipping had sought bids for LNG dual-fuel containerships.
Jiangnan said in a separate statement that the vessels will be part of the “Kun” series developed by the shipbuilder.
The shipbuilder previously built this type of vessel for Singapore’s PIL and France’s CMA CGM.
